Photo Credit: Movement for Black Lives
In dozens of cities across America the streets have been packed with people protesting the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police. Floyd’s murder is yet another reminder of the white supremacist structures that devalue Black life over and over again. As a global organization working to stop the climate crisis, we know that systemic racism is deeply connected to climate change and 350.org is in solidarity with all of those demanding justice. Last week, U.S. staff at 350.org released a statement making clear that there is no just recovery from the climate crisis without addressing systemic extraction, harm, and violence towards Black communities. This week, in further solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives (MB4L) that has called for a week of action in defense of black life from June 1-5, 350.org’s North America director Tamara Toles O’Laughlin and 350.org’s executive director May Boeve gave the following statements:
“There is no climate justice without a racial analysis,” said 350.org North America director Tamara Toles O’Laughlin. “At 350.org, we know that the work of dismantling white supremacy is essential to building a climate movement that matters and stands any chance of winning. As we stand up against injustice, our demands include taking action to end systemic violence against Black communities. Decades of environmental justice activism has shown that communities facing racist violence and over-policing are also overrun by fossil fuel extraction, pollution, and every manner of related health disparities. The truth is that the status quo is killing us and so we have no reason to support ‘business as usual’. Our fight for climate justice must necessarily include challenging the systems of racism that protect profits for the wealthy few and destroys Black Lives. In our demands to invest in climate action and a Green New Deal, we are also calling for divestment from systems of white supremacy in solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives.”
“It’s not lost on me that last year’s Climate Strikes received overwhelmingly positive coverage, while this weekend we’ve seen more concern over how people protest than the movement’s goals,” said 350.org executive director May Boeve. “350.org engages people to take action for how they want the world to change, and that must include dismantling white supremacy. There is no way to tackle the climate crisis fairly without addressing the systemic racism that fuels it. And our demands for just recovery from COVID-19 and the climate crisis must include that very commitment to racial justice. In 2016, 350.org endorsed the platform put out by the Movement for Black Lives; we stand by our commitment to their vision. We stand in solidarity with those protesting the brutal murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police department and state-sanctioned violence against Black communities writ large.”
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Contact: Thanu Yakupitiyage, [email protected]